Chapter 61 What a coincidence, what is she doing here?
Those barbarian foreigners are utterly rude and shameless!
The Vice Minister of Works used his years of experience to maintain his proper smile and said, "Since Lady Azar also appreciates beautiful women, then Miss Yuyan may go to Lady Azar's side."
"Miss Yu Yan, you must serve this distinguished guest well."
The Vice Minister of Works emphasized the word "serve," which, while carrying a disgusting connotation, clearly also disgusted himself quite a bit.
Among those present were high-ranking officials like the Vice Minister of Works, as well as foreign merchants of all sorts of appearances. Although Yu Yan was known as a charming courtesan, she restrained herself somewhat, simply bowing gracefully to Vice Minister Zhang before sitting down next to Azhar.
As he sat down, his eyes unconsciously glanced at Zhao Liangxu.
Yu Yan still remembered her. Zhao Liangxu possessed a beauty that even she found astonishing, and she would not forget such an impressive appearance.
Zhao Liangxu was wearing a fairly formal dark blue jacket and a horse-face skirt embroidered with plum blossoms today. The fabric was naturally of good quality, so as not to make a fool of herself at such a banquet. She also wore the gold necklace that she had given Hazard when they first met, as a sign of respect.
Yu Yan was quite surprised to meet Xiao Liu'er's friend at such a banquet. She had guessed that Xiao Liu'er had only pretended to be a noble person to deceive the madam of Zuihua Fang that day. When the madam found out, she was furious and became very stingy for the next few days, constantly nagging that Xiao Liu'er was not good at making money and that a girl who had been thrown away more than a year ago was not worth much. Only then did she comfort herself and not pursue the matter further.
Therefore, Yu Yan assumed that Xiao Liu'er was just living an ordinary life in the city and had not made any wealthy friends. However, it seems that her friend is quite extraordinary. She is not a girl from an ordinary family. Otherwise, how could she appear at the banquet of the Vice Minister of Works today? Moreover, this friend is sitting in the caravan seat and seems to be very familiar with Lady Azhar. She is truly a remarkable person.
Yu Yan glanced at her a couple more times, and in this situation, she didn't say much. In fact, she and Zhao Liangxu had only met once and were not old acquaintances. She just hoped that the girl wouldn't show any disgust towards Zuihua Fang.
Zhao Liangxu took the initiative to greet her, peeking out slightly with a smile and saying, "Miss Yuyan, it's been a long time."
Yu Yan was slightly surprised and apprehensive, and replied, "Miss has a good memory, remembering someone as insignificant as me. I am truly grateful and delighted."
She didn't dare say much during the meal, only wearing a submissive smile as she served food and wine to Hazar.
Hazar leaned closer to Yu Yan and explained to her, "Actually, I'm not the mirror polisher that your Southern Weekly is talking about. I just didn't like that old man, so I just said it casually. Don't be afraid of me."
Yu Yan was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but chuckle. Although her voice was soft, everyone else at the banquet had been secretly watching the movements of Azar and his group. Seeing that the prostitute didn't seem uncomfortable at all, and even seemed to be having a pleasant conversation with the foreigners, they couldn't help but look at her with some strange eyes.
"I know that the benefactor was talking nonsense, but I still want to thank the benefactor for saving me from this predicament. Being by the benefactor's side makes me feel more comfortable."
Yu Yan could tell that Azar was talking nonsense because of his status as a foreigner. She was happy to stay away from the old man with a white beard, the Vice Minister of Works.
Zhao Liangxu asked Hazar, "You know a lot. Where did you learn all this?" Hazar's reserved demeanor was out of place with Southern Zhou, which piqued Zhao Liangxu's curiosity.
Hazard laughed so hard that the gold pendant on his head swayed wildly: "I've met a lot of people, commoners and nobles, and I always hear these funny stories."
Her husband, Bernard, clearly knew Hazard's personality and didn't care about his nonsense.
"I'd like to ask, do you actually know Miss Yu Yan? Zui Hua Fang should be the name of a brothel in Nan Zhou, right? Could it be that you are the real 'mirror polisher'? Always patronizing Miss Yu Yan's business?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Liangxu felt a throbbing sensation in her forehead; Hazard's thinking was truly beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.
Yu Yan quickly interrupted to deny it, clasping her hands in front of her chin in a pleading manner: "No, no, Your Excellency is too kind to joke. I have only met this young lady once and do not even know her name. Your Excellency, please do not make fun of me and this young lady."
Even someone like Yu Yan, who had seen many strange people in her career and had long since developed a knack for responding to conversations, was still flustered and found it difficult to handle Hazard's bold words.
People outside of Southern Zhou say whatever comes to mind!
She thought Zhao Liangxu was truly an extraordinary girl. What if her words caused Zhao Liangxu to feel ashamed, angry, or resentful?
She then revealed her usual charming demeanor, her movements unconsciously carrying a touch of coquettishness, begging Hazard to stop teasing her. This was her most frequently used tactic when dealing with guests, and now, startled by Hazard's words, she unconsciously used it as well.
However, she wasn't facing a man, so it really looked like she was flirting with a blind man.
Yu Yan also sensed something was amiss, then chuckled softly and poured wine for Azar: "Please forgive me, Your Excellency, Yu Yan is really not used to being proper. It is my honor to be able to serve you by your side today."
Yu Yan then asked Zhao Liangxu, "If you don't mind, could you please tell me my name? It seems we have met twice by chance."
Zhao Liangxu, of course, would not refuse.
Upon hearing Zhao Liangxu's name, Zhi Yuyan showed a surprised expression, then seemed to realize something and said in a low voice, "So it's Princess Zhao. I'm so sorry for my rudeness."
She never expected that Xiao Liu'er's friend would be Princess Zhao, the former hostage, Zhao Liangxu who fled from Northern Zhou.
Now he has a reputation for being entangled with eunuchs.
She didn't know what to say.
Fortunately, the incident with Yu Yan at the banquet passed quickly, and the Vice Minister of Works squinted his small eyes and began calculating the Persian caravan's wealth.
During the meal, his words were always barbed and laced with venom.
Azhar was indeed a skilled negotiator. She skillfully evaded the traps set by the Vice Minister of Works in his words, or used her foreign identity to "talk nonsense" at the right time, never losing the upper hand. The Vice Minister of Works found it difficult to reach an agreement with Azhar on the price.
The other small caravans that were brought in to make up the numbers didn't have much to say, and the banquet was really lively by the middle.
"...Ahem, I have had a very pleasant conversation with you all today, and we have talked for quite some time. Now that we are in high spirits, I will indulge myself and open a few jars of fine wine to soothe your throats." Seeing that he could not out-argue Azhar, the Vice Minister of Works shook his beard and lied through his teeth, changing his tactics with a quick glance.
Seeing that Azar and the others enjoyed drinking, he ordered several jars of strong liquor, believing that they wouldn't be able to persuade these barbarians while drunk.
Both groups were eagerly awaiting good wine. Hazar felt that the more he drank, the more his fighting spirit would be aroused. The Vice Minister of Works would not add such strong wine to his own cup. On his home turf, it would be best to get the other party drunk.
He had only given the order a short while ago, and before the servant who had brought the wine had returned, a flustered servant rushed in, scrambling in without even announcing his arrival.
"How dare you! Have you forgotten the rules of this household? How dare you, a mere servant, barge in like this?"
Before the Vice Minister of Works even received his wine, he was already furious.
"Reporting to...Reporting to my lord, outside...outside..."
"What are you trying to say with that stammering? How can there be such an ill-mannered servant in this manor!" The Vice Minister of Works vented his anger, which he had just lost to Azar, on this servant.
The Vice Minister of Works, lacking patience, coldly retorted, "If you can't explain it clearly, then stop talking. Drag him out..."
"Your Excellency is so angry. You should drink another cup of this fine wine to calm down. You may not be able to drink such good things again in the future."
A soft, mocking laugh came from outside the door, the voice hoarse.
The familiar voice startled the Vice Minister of Works, whose beard was stained with wine, so much that it trembled even more violently.
Zhao Liangxu was very familiar with this voice.
The sound of clattering footsteps burst into the banquet hall, which was filled with the aroma of wine. A group of Imperial Guards dressed in flying fish robes surrounded the people in the inner room in a few moments.
Almost the instant she heard the sound, Zhao Liangxu peeked out towards the door.
The dark boots embroidered with cloud patterns tapped the ground with a slow, deliberate sound, their hems swaying gently and gracefully, just like the owner of the garment.
With such a sarcastic tone and voice, who else could it be but An He?
Anhe wore a dark blue python robe today, with a soft white whisk draped over his elbow. It was the lightest color on his body, as if his dark, almost dripping heart still had some conscience.
Zhao Liangxu looked up along the hem of his clothes and remembered that the light color on his clothes wasn't just on the whisk.
That fair face, always covered in powder, was also a very pale color.
Zhao Liangxu focused her gaze on An He's face, and she became surprised.
His face was still strikingly white today, but it was no longer due to the powder; it was his natural skin tone. The blood and vitality that he usually concealed with powder were now showing. Although An He was not as alluring as before, his delicate face still held a cold smile and mockery, as well as a touch of effeminacy unique to eunuchs.
He didn't apply face powder.
Zhao Liangxu almost wanted to touch her heart.
She was somewhat wondering if her heart was beating faster because of Anhe.
Did Anhe stop wearing face powder today because of the last few words she said that day?
The lively banquet suddenly fell silent. The Vice Minister of Works was still trembling and asked intermittently, "Your Majesty, what brings you here?"
"Is there something wrong with our banquet?" He hoped that the problem lay with the banquet itself, since Anhe hadn't come for any other reason.
An He snorted and glanced absentmindedly at the people at the banquet. Just as he was about to say a few more sarcastic remarks to the Vice Minister of Works, he met Zhao Liangxu's burning eyes.
His laughter stopped abruptly.
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Author's Note: Eunuch An has arrived!
I'm pondering a very philosophical question: How can I write in one hour what would take three hours to write?
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